The Crackdown on Kashmir

Thank you NY times correspondents on an unbiased coverage of Kashmir issue. I am lucky enough to call my parents in Kashmir on a land line once in a while if it goes through. My dad got sick and my mom was not able to call an ambulance. She had to rush to a doctor who is their neighbor. Luckily she was home and she was able to treat him and he stabilized. They are going through tremendous trauma. Indian forces with heavy armor are on every nook and corner. Indian security forces are violating International laws and there are horrendous human rights violations going on right now on the unarmed people of Kashmir. Most Hindu Indians are praising Modi’s action because they do not know what the real situation is in Kashmir. They are ignorant of the facts. Maybe because they are not interested to know the facts or maybe their deep love for India is blurring their insight. They are sitting on their computers typing away angry, dehumanizing comments at anyone who gives an non partisan account and without questioning the narrative given by Indian media. I would just like to remind them that they are enjoying life, liberty and happiness in the west. Why are they against the same rights for Muslim Kashmiris. Think beyond nationalism, think like true democrats.

good.

One question to NYT opinion writers-why do you think so many Indians protest your analysis? Are all of them ignorant or all of them just Hindu nationalists? Can you apply your superior minds to this question? Just give their opinions a little bit of hearing and see if it might have some point? I do not understand the level of hate for India in this matter from NYT.

If Russia constantly meddles and causes violent unrests in an Alaska that (say) has some sort of special status that protects it from Federal oversight , wouldn't we as patriotic Americans take a stand and integrate the state back into the "United" ? Thats exactly what Modi just did

I am daily subscriber to NY times and The Daily listener. I am disappointed by the shallow analysis. The report fails to throw light on the proxy war waged by Pakistan on the Kashmiri soil. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_and_state-sponsored_terrorism#India Add to that isolationism by 370/35A and you get a perfect recipe of extremism, joblessness and terrorism. When India has to govern the region, it has to take drastic steps at a time when the corrupt local government fails to provide opportunities to its populace.

This is a skewed view and heavily influenced by opinions than facts. My family lost everything in Kashmir and reading careless statements is an insult to what people of Kashmir have been experiencing. What the valley needs is economic stability which is primary reason for people getting influence into picking or pelting stones. This is a step in that direction. I only wish this step was taken sooner. I have witnessed friends lose parents to senseless violence in the name of religion. As media, I urge you guys not to fuel the current state of perceived threat - let's give this a chance. If you cant do any good with your might pens, don't make it worse by influencing those who are far removed from it with biased commentary. - From the table of someone who has experienced the threat of being killed as a 10 year old in the Valley. We need peace, not politics!

Hi NY times, what's up with the term "Hindu nationalist" government? India's ruling party is secular. India is a secular country. With over a billions of people living in India, all religions feel safe there. There are more Muslims in India than Pakistan. Many Muslims hold top positions even in government. A recent Indian president was a muslim. Even in America many people don't feel safe. For Kashmir, this is a great decision for its own prosperity. This is finally a great decision by India. Please educate yourself properly. Thank you.

In my longer earlier comment I spoke of the syncretic all-inclusive character of the Indian Subcontinent and how the perverse suspension of this character has made the Kashmir problem intractable. My words do not do justice to this syncretic culture. So, may I recommend the following documentary from Al Jazeera’s docu-series - Witness. https://youtu.be/zjZXrMmWDTo This documentary was aired on Al Jazeera in India on eve of the anniversary of India’s savage partition and her simultaneous Independence from the absolute inhumanity that was the British Empire.

Eid Mubarak! A deep sigh of relief to read THE CORRECTION - THIS POINTS TO THE ROOT OF WEST’S GROSS IGNORANCE ON THE ISSUE. The Times mostly does a laudable job. Yet, this one is unfortunately the same old script. Specifically, the answer to why can’t India let Kashmir go was fashionably ignorant. 3 reasons why: 1. Religion-based borders are a non-starter in India. India was never a classic westphalian nation. Down here, religion based partition is as undemocratic as this clampdown (ya I agree, the actions are undemocratic, a different leadership might have taken the valley along.. but this is the best this dispensation could do, given the baggage they bring.) 2. India is the 2nd largest Muslim country in the world.. Urdu was born in Delhi - which historically has been such a cultural nerve-center of liberal Islam that she’s also known as Mecca-e-Sani (2nd Mecca). A 1000 year old syncretic culture doesn’t come undone in one ill-conceived partition. Legitimising secession on religious grounds would create unsustainable polarisation, criminally unfair to millions of Muslims who proudly call India home. 3. Not mentioning the 90s Kashmiri Pandit exodus would be perceived in India as deliberate, criminal journalistic mischief. Yes, India’s treatment of minorities needs improvement and the trend hasn’t been +’ve lately. Deep sympathies for my fellow Kashmiris, this is undemocratic, wish it could’ve been done more inclusively. Yet, India refuses to be ‘Hindu Pakistan’. Eid Mubarak!

Mr. Jeffrey Gettleman, thank you for your coverage of India. But please stop calling Kashmir "Indian Controlled". If you must, please always refer to California as U.S. Controlled...since it too was annexed. Then why not refer...well I hope you see my point. Kashmir is a state within the Federal Republic of India. Period.

Malice aforethought has always influenced NYT coverage of India and matters Indian. But frankly, who gives a damn --as is wisely said!

Indian government is very right to take the drastic step. I am more then sure this will help that region in general. Look at the response from Jammu and Ladakh. They are very happy with the decision , and belly only is not the whole state. What have they done with Kashmiri pundits? And Pakistan ?! More then once they are proved liver. They want to take disadvantage of the democracy and shift culture of Indian ideology, the whole word have seen since thousands of years. Indians believe in “Live and let live” . Even today how many Muslims are in India? And are not they happy? My best friend are muslims and we attend their social functions and we invite them too. Yes they are facing some problems but that was because they never give important to educate their children in general and their daughters in particular. I was teacher for more then 38 years and I might not have as my students even 38 in all! Yes but now things are getting better in India for them as now they are in main stream and aware of education. Yes nobody can challenge Prime Minister Moody and Amit Shah today in India, whole country is with them( except, not all but few, Congress people, who lost their Identity these days.). I am more then sure about very bright future of People of Jammu, Ladakh and even of Vella if they understand reality soon. I am happy to get an opportunity to express my views here. Thanks. Ranjitrai M Desai.

I really appreciate the historical details that were included in this episode regarding the events just after the British exit from the sub-continent. However the Article 370 (the law that was repealed/modified) pertains to the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir. There are three divisions in the state, Kashmir valley, Jammu and Ladakh, all of them have been disputed since 1948 and all of them have been affected by this decision. When you say that the people of Kashmir do not see themselves as a part of India, you refer to the people of the Kashmir valley, but people and issues of Jammu and Ladakh find no mention in this episode (not even the acknowledgement of their existence). Do note that even Jammu and Ladakh are living under disputed territories largely shielded from the conflict and ignored by the political moves in Srinagar. What I find in this report is an incomplete listing of who the stakeholders in the issue are and any report that is not inclusive of all stakeholders should be considered to be biased. This is a complaint to both the Indian and the international media reporting on state of Jammu and Kashmir

The Modi government sought to abrogate Article 370 and 35 A (according special status to Jammu & Kashmir) on the ground that they were temporary, not meant to be a permanent part of the Constitution. It's also debated if the instrument of accession of Kashmir to India was negotiated between Hari Singh, the ruler, and the Congress government led by Nehru or by the British regime on its last leg under Mountbatten. In any event, for 72 years, the effectiveness of the Articles kept diluting under successive state governments of provincial Muslim leaders. During this time, on the Indian side of Kashmir, Hindu Pundits and Sufi Muslims were persecuted by the Pak-inspired militants and the Pak side of Kashmir was converted into a "military garrison" for the Pak military dictators. If the Kashmiris had any dreams of staying independent, that was crushed by the Indo-Pak geopolitics. Under the Modi-Shah dispensation -- backed by the electoral mandate -- the outlook has radically changed: If Kashmir had to flourish in the 21st Century, it will have to be integrated into the Indian mainstream. The Kashmiri politicians and militant separatists would have liked to keep Kashmir ignorant, Islamist, ghettoised and isolated. Tired of perpetual indoctrination from the Pak-supported militants or of self-destructing violence, the new generation Kashmiris do crave to break out of the vicious environment they are in and be a part of the free global society. Certainly, it's a historic turning point.

This report is naive. History of Kashmir did not start in 1948. Its like saying history of Palestine started in 1948. It’s complicated dudes.

This is a skewed view and heavily influenced by opinions than facts. My family lost everything in Kashmir and reading careless statements is an insult to what people of Kashmir have been experiencing. What the valley needs is economic stability which is the primary reason for people getting influence into picking arms or pelting stones. This is a step in gaining much needed avenue of putting bread on the table everyday without fear of losing life. I only wish this step was taken sooner. I have witnessed friends lose parents to senseless violence in the name of religion. As media, I urge you guys not to fuel the current state of perceived threat - let's give this a chance. If you cant do any good with your might pens, don't make it worse by influencing those who are far removed from it with biased commentary. - From the table of someone who has experienced the threat of being killed as a 10 year old in the Valley. We need peace, not politics!

I am from Pakistan. Thank you from the realistic podcast. It would be great if the UN mediation of the Kashmir dispute could be the part of the podcast. It is the time to resolve the issue once for all with the consent of the people of J&K. Both India and Pakistan should demiliterize J&K simultaneously and should hand over the land to UN administration who than should give the right of self determination to the people of J&K to choose between Pakistan, India or a sovereign state as per the UN 1948-49 resolution. Under current scenario, a sovereign J&K ruled by its own people may become a reachable solution for both the countries as well as for J&K.

Being an indian,(considering for moment myself neither a Muslim nor hindu) l completely appreciate the indian government decision. This podcast's content seemed to be biased. It was right at that moment declared that all the special privileges given to Kashmir was temporary. If any neighbor country was irrelevantly accusing its right over Kashmir due to article 370,then definitely it was the time to make Kashmir officially indian state.

Article 370 died in May 1995, when terrorists burnt down the 600 year old unique wooden Dargah Charar-i-Sharif of Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani, a Sufi saint in Kashmir. In secular India, Islamic terrorists from Pakistan try to replace Sufism with fanaticism. Article 35A died 5 years earlier, when Kashmiri Pandits were driven out of the Kashmir valley without any security support by the local or central security forces. “The events of 19 January 1990 were particularly vicious. On that day, mosques issued declarations that the Kashmiri Pandits were Kafirs and that the males had to leave Kashmir, convert to Islam or be killed. Those who chose to the first of these were told to leave their women behind.” — Wikipedia So, why such a hew and cry now, after it is officially acknowledged, that these 2 articles are redundant?

Hello, I am a devoted listener of your podcast! I had similar reactions like those who expressed their thought below. I would rate this podcast as B or even C+ because of the number of ommissions. I assume it was not intentional. Pakistan is a failed state and has taken advantage of the situation in Kashmir. Indian government's hands were tied because of Article 370. The only political community has taken advantage of this article leaving Kashmiiries in extreme poverty. The steps taken by the Modi government are in the right direction. This is like Texas having its own constitution and their own president. India tolerated this for many years without any obvious benefits. This choice was not given to any other states. I hope the team will make an effort to dig deeper and talk to multiple sides before making any podcast.

Article 370 was incorporated into India’s constitution in 1954 - seven years AFTER independence and Kashmir becoming part of India. The article had nothing to do with Kashmir’s initially becoming a part of India. It was clearly written and mentioned as a temporary measure, and is totally an internal Indian matter.

Thank you for your honest reporting. Thank you for calling a spade a spade. You will be bombarded by people hiding behind the mask of Ghandhi. They will tell you how you are wrong. They will overwhelm you, because that's what they do to anyone who has a view point that doesn't agree with them. Stay strong. Keep reporting the truth.

The Podcast represents a lot of incorrect facts The Guest says Muslims in Kashmir will be now oppressed by Hindus. Do you know India has more Muslims thank Pakistan? And they are living happily in India. Pakistan is a failed state and they are exploiting the situation in Kashmir Only the politicians have benefited from Article 370 all the money spend by the indian government has never reached ordinary Kashmiris

As the other commentators have mentioned, the NY Times reports are severely incomplete. This is a complicated issue: it involves Jammu and Ladakh who have been asking for this step for a long time. It is not just about the population of the Kashmir Valley. With the United States pulling out of Afghanistan, the threat of even more terrorism in Kashmir is very real. After all, the beginning of the armed Islamist insurgency in Kashmir  occurred  in 1989 after the Soviets pulled out of Afghanistan,, leaving the Taliban mujahideen free to wreak violence in the Valley. For those who actually want to see a thoughtful, reasoned debate on this issue, I am including the following link which I believe illustrates the best of secular Indian democracy. It is long, but I hope NY times reporters will view this so they can stop reducing  this (as well as every other report on modern India) to a simplistic Hindu vs Muslim narrative. As this debate illustrates, when Pakistan is your neighbor, there is virtually no simple choice to be made in Kashmir https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDGIzrvyOU4

Thank you for your honest reporting of the Kashmir event. This is another event that proves that the Indian democracy is a farce. 35 years ago Indian politicians organized a genocide of Sikhs and the criminal politicians still roam around with full immunity. Sikhs fight back and so do some Muslims. Hindoo indians will say it is secular country, most of them are no different from the skinheads and white supremacist. RSS from where most of the BJP party leader are prepared is the equivalent of KKK. RSS and other organizations raise money via charities in USA and other western countries. West keeps quiet on what India does because its a big market.

Your show missed to inform that after the 1947 invasion by religious fighters from Pakistan, 1/3 of Kashmir is still with Pakistan and the 2/3 with India. Pakistan gave away a slice generously to China. The Hindus in Indian Kashmir fled in late 80s/early 90s. Article 370 was introduced as a presidential ordinance; never legislated. The repeal was voted in both legislative houses and voted for by more than 2/3 rds. Kashmiri muslims can live, work or start business in all Indian states. Indians from other states cannot be employed, do business or buy real estate. This condition resulted in lack of development. For a population of 12 million, the state GDP is ~US$ 20 M. A state just south (Himachal) with a population of ~6 Million has a state GDP of ~$2 Billion

I love hearing your podcast. Todays podcast needed more context than one provided in wikipedia. As per my understanding, things that were missed are below and please do correct me if I am wrong. 1. India was not created for Hindus. Pakistan was created for Indian muslims, based on a request from a minority religious party. That reflects in Indian constitution as India has no state religion. 2. Plight of people from other religions when the tribes and Pakistani Army attacked in 1948. 3. Pakistans interference since 1948. Resulting multiple wars and insurgency as a result of proxy war. 4. Plight of Kashmiri Hindus during the early years of insurgency. Also, India has no clear single cultural majority. Mentioning India will flood Kashmir with Indians is creating and promoting unfounded parallels. Kashmir is not the only Indian region with its own culture. The earlier stalemate was only helping existing power centers, with no set plan for future.

Article 370 was temporary at the outset in 1954. It was not from 1947. The partition of India by the British was a reluctant compromise by Indians who had faught for Independence for many decades. The two nation theory of the British that made Pakistan possible was invalidated in 1971 by the establishment of Bangladesh. Your podcast conveniently didn't talk about it and seemed very biased. Muslim population in India is set to be the largest in the world by 2050. Kashmir and Laddakh could not stay in the temporary status quo for long. This emboldened Pakistani terrorism. Indians are right to defend their interests. Full integration of Kashmir is the way forward for this problem. It's the best solution for India and as a corollary for Kashmir. The U.S. may at some point have to decide about a similar situation in Puerto Rico. Should status quo continue there or should it be integrated fully into the Union? Indians want equal rights for all citizens and everywhere in their Union. Kashmiris were not equal citizens for many decades. Now this is possible. A step in correcting historical mistakes of the British Empire and partition of the Indian subcontinent.

Some omissions in the podcast which can skew the perception of recent events by listeners: - India is not a Hindu state. It is a secular state, and not everyone there is a Hindu nationalist, so the premise of religion to let go of Kashmir is not valid. - People are not going to flock into Kashmir and buy land in times of curfew, unrest etc. Kashmir is a troubled region and it is unreasonable to imagine that people would flock in immediately. - The original clause was just a pact between the King and India, it was not a democratic process either. - The podcast would be enhanced by reaching out to several lay Kashmiri people to get their opinions instead of assuming they are against the move itself and not the manner (lockdown) it was done.

This reporting is not complete in a lot of ways. This region was very peaceful till the military in Pakistan decided to send militants in and carried out the forced expulsion of the hindoo minority there, making them refugees in their own country.As much as the hindoos there were used to living as second grade citizens they had accepted that as their way of life because it was generally peaceful. Secondly the region has three "subdivisions" and the Sunni Majority valley was allocated most funds and even with that those funds, which were in millions, did not reach the poor because of corrupt and inefficient state governments who no one could question because of the status.Jammu and Ladakh have largely been ignored. Third most of the so called "separatist leadership" who were on the Pakistani payroll kept the strife ongoing to suit their personal benefit inciting the poor while they sent their kids and grandkids to elite universities in India and the world. Go figure

I am a NY Times subscriber and a daily daily listener. Your reporter mis-stated facts. During partition of India, 2 sates were created pakistan an islamic republic and india a secular country. Your reporter today stated that india was created for "hindus". Please get facts right. India has more muslims than the full population of Pakistan. Please do not distort facts.

https://time.com/5647304/white-nationalist-terrorism-united-states/ Why don't you fix your white nationalist govt at home and use the same adjective for your government